Cutting tool



C. T. ASBURY CUTTING TOOL May 29, 1962 Filed March 17, 1958 United This invention relates to cutting and abrading devices, and in particular relates to a cutting device of this nature employing twisted wires as the cutting and abrading instrument.

In my previous Patents Nos. 2,740,980 issued April 10, 1956, for: Apparatus for Cutting and Abrading; No. 2,756,659, issued August 7, 1956, for: Device for Cutting Stone and Concrete; and 2,763,257, issued September 18, 1956, for Apparatus for Cutting Stone, and my pending patent applications Serial Nos. 537,922, filed October 3, 1955, for Loop Tension Cutter, now Patent No. 2,851,028; 584,673, filed May 14, 1956, for Method and Apparatus for Treating Surfaces, now abandoned; 625,791, filed December 3, 1956, for Cutting Devices, now Patent No. 2,850,862; and 682,682, filed September 9, 1957, for Cutter Elements, now abandoned; I illustrate various arrangements for utilizing cutting elements made of twisted wires for cutting and abrading purposes. Such cutting elements I have found will cut and abrade a great variety of materials even stone and cement. The cutting elements are relatively inexpensive and are quite efiicient in operation. One of the widest usages that I have discovered for my cutting elements is in the abrading of painted lines from highway surfaces. This is an important work operation since undesired paint lines on highways, unless deliberately removed will require sometimes many months before they will wear off to the point where they will not be confusing and thus hazardous to motorists.

The present invention relates particularly to a cutting element devised for the particular purpose of abrading paint lines and the like from highway surfaces. The utility of my cutting element, however, is not limited to this specific work operation but may be employed for other surface abrading operations as well.

The particular object of this invention is to provide a greatly improved cutting element employing twisted wires such that a more inexpensive cutting element results and one which will operate in an improved manner.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a twisted wire cutting element having an accurate bearing associated therewith by means of which the cutting element can be pivotally mounted on a holder by which the cutting element is driven.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a twisted wire swing type cutting element which can readily be replaced when the element becomes worn or damaged.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a twisted wire swing type cutting element so constructed that the cutting elements can be produced by mass production methods and will still match one another quite closely when mounted on a holder for driving the cutting element.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view looking in at the side of a cutting element constructed according to the present invention having two leg portions of equal length;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section indicated by line 2-2 on FIGURE 1 showing the construction of the bearing portion of the cutting element;

FIGURE 3 is a view illustrating the cutting elements mounted on a holder that drives the cutting elements when they are working;

8 3,636,324 Patented May 29, 1962 ice FIGURE 4 is a sectional view indicated by line 44 on FIGURE 3 showing the appearance of the holder and cutting elements when the holder is being driven in rotation; and

FIGURE 5 is a view like FIGURE 1 except showing one leg of the cutting element shorter than the other.

Referring to the drawings somewhat more in detail, the cutting element illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 consists of a pair of wires 10 twisted together and bent into the form of a U thus to form a two-legged wire cutter 12. The wires 10 may be of any size possessing sufficient stiffness to prevent collapse or bending of the cutter and are or" a relatively stiif material. The individual wires 10 may vary from to A" in diameter, and while it is preferred to employ only two wires twisted together, there could be three or more wires if desired. The twisting together of the wires causes them to support one another thus yielding a relatively stifi but resilient cutter that will not easily become bent in use.

According to the present invention, the cutting element is provided with an arcuate shaped bearing in the form of a bearing plate member 14 having a bearing sleeve portion 16 formed therein and of about the same or a little greater length axially through the bearing than the thickness of the twisted wire cutter. This will be seen in FIGURE 2.

A semi-circular integral margin portion 18 of the bearing plate 14, as illustrated in FIG. 2, extends over and substantially encloses and supports the twisted wire cutter 12 at the U-shaped end portion. The semi-circular margin portion 18 is provided with an open slot 19a which extends laterally throughout the margin portion. This open slot which is adjacent the bearing sleeve 16 functions to ventilate and dissipate heat from the bearing member.

A lower margin portion, designated 18a in FIGURE 1, which is integral with the upper semi-circular margin portion 18 comprises a pair of elongated wire cutter enclosing portions 18b. These elongated portions clamp and retain the twisted wire cutter whereby the two legs of the cutter are braced and supported relative to each other and prevented from spreading apart.

The lower margin portion 18a of the bearing plate member 14 comprises an inclined rib part 20 which provides further stiffening of the assembly so that even though the material of the member 14 is relatively thin an extremely strong assembly results which can be utilized in extremely heavy cutting and abrading operations.

The cutting element illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2 is adapted for being carried by a rotating holder so that the cutting elements can swing somewhat in the nature of swinging hammers, whereby the ends of the legs of the cutting element can be brought into abrading or cutting relation with a surface being operated.

In FIGURE 3 the holder will be seen to comprise a pair of spaced plates 22 mounted on a central drive shaft 24. Spaced circumferentially about the holder somewhat inwardly from the peripheries of plates 22 are the support rods 26 which may be in the form of bolts extending through the plates and which rods are of a size to fit fairly closely within the bearing portions 16 of the cutting element. The rods 26 are adapted for supporting a plurality of cutting elements in side-by-side relation and this provides for substantially complete coverage of a surface being treated so that paint lines and the like can be completely abraded from a highway surface. Also, since the holder will be mounted in a wheeled carriage or the like so that shaft 24 will be at a fixed distance from the surface being worked, all of the cutting elements will bear the same relation to the surface because of the accurate bearings provided therefor whereby all of the cutting elements will be eifective and whereby the surface can be worked being arranged in adjacent relation and extending completely across the holder, but it will be evident that spacers could be placed at the ends of the support rods 26 for 'working narrow surfaces thus permitting the use of fewer of the cutting elements. V

Similarly, the rods 26 could comprise spacers at the ends of different thicknesses for the various rods whereby the cutting elements would be staggered with regard to the plane of the plates 22 thereby to promote more complete and uniform coverage of a surface with one pass of the holder thereover.

The cutting element described has been illustrated as having two legs of the same length and in most cases a cutting element of this nature is highly satisfactory. There may be instances, however, particularly where the work operation is of an extremely heavy nature, where it might be desired for the cutting element to have only a single leg thereon. This arrangement is shown in FIG- URE wherein the twisted wire cutter has one leg 28 substantially longer than the other leg 30 so that only the leg 28 is effective for abrading or cutting operations.

As in the case of the previously described cutting element, a member 32'is provided for supporting and stiffening the cutter at its closed end and provides for a more accurately located bearing of accurate size at the closed end of the cutter.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to difierent usages .and conditions; and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

- I claim:

1. In an abrading tool, a holder for swingably supporting an assembly of cutting elements, said holder comprising a pair of-spaced platesrnounted on a central drive of said cutting elements comprising a bearing member including a bearing sleeve, said cutting elements mounted on said supporting rods in side-by-side relation whereby a relatively wide surface area is abradable by said tool, each of said cutting elements including a twisted wire cutter mounted on said bearing member and having closely disposed parallel wire leg portions extending therefrom, said bearing member comprising an upper semi-circular margin portion substantially enclosing and supporting said twisted wire cutter, said upper margin portion defining an open slot which extends laterally throughout said semi-circular margin portion and adjacent said bearing sleeve for ventilating and dissipating heat from said bearing member, and a lower margin portion integral with said upper semi-circular margin portion and comprising a pair of elongated wire cutter enclosing portions for clamping and retaining said twisted wire cutter whereby said twisted 'wire leg portions of the cutter are braced and supported References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 661,650 Thurston Nov. 13, 1900 1,123,516 Gaudron Jan. 5, 1915 1,309,587 Radinse July 8, 1919 1 1,517,852 Neff Dec. 2, 1924 1,657,752 Hentzberg Jan; 31, 1928 1,694,018 Mudge Dec. 4, 1928 2,100,138 Heldt Nov. 23, 1937 2,757,659 Asbury Aug. 7, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 629,746 France Nov. 16, 1927 

